Phoenix Moon
by Poetheather1
Summary: When Ranma killed Saffron, it changed more than his own world. Realizing that his relationship with Akane is doomed as well as having received a mysterious box from Kiima of the phoenix tribe, Ranma takes off, ending up in an adventure that is out of this world. Updated irregularly.
1. Chapter 1

Phoenix Moon

Here is the usual spiel… I am neither Rumiko Takahashi nor am I Naoko Takeuchi thus I expect nothing resembling income for this diversion. It is simply my own personal fanfic. And if your life resembles this story I feel so sorry for you. You have my condolences.

A/N: Here is a new story that I just want to get out of my head and share it with you all. It should be a hoot. Sure it is a familiar crossover and a less than common pairing but it should be somewhat different than things I have read before. At least I hope. Enjoy!

Nightmares and Revelations

When it all came down to it, Setsuna wasn't sure if it was the scream of her adopted daughter or the earthquake that shook the city that woke her. When she sat upright in bed she could hear dishes, glass, windows all rattling and above that discord was Hotaru's fear filled voice. Something felt off, something she was sure was connected to time but there was nothing that easily came to mind. Hearing Haruka and Micheru rushing to Hotaru, she made her decision, flinging back the covers. Once standing she summoned her Key and went right for the Time Gates. Hotaru would be in good hands.

Once there she turned swiftly to the Time Gates, rolling things back to try and figure out what she was feeling. The quick scan of future trends showed that the future of Crystal Tokyo was in flux. Or rather the version of Crystal Tokyo that she was most familiar with was no longer the primary future. While Crystal Tokyo was still there this change sent a chill down her spine and she shuddered. Rolling back, she narrowed the focus in order to isolate the specific variable which had changed, destabilizing the known future for this new one.

The complex algorithms that shaped the Time Gates worked to comply with her desire. This process had enabled her to subtly shift events back into focus if the altered variable was not overly large. Time was completely ruled by the whole butterfly/tornado aspect of Chaos and if she could change a thing when it was still small she might just be able to return things to their proper course. After a short while the system pinged, stating that it found the variable. When she played the event in question she knew all hope of changing things while small was no longer possible. The Gates showed the vast destruction of the Kowlun region of China and the death of Saffron, the ruler of the Phoenix tribe in a fight against a mortal. "What the hell?"

She knew that Saffron was a bit of an arrogant ass but this? Why the hell had this happened? When she tried to look for who had killed the Phoenix all she got was static, a blurred form that made it difficult to focus on. She narrowed her eyes in consternation, running through possible reasons for such an occurrence. All she could tell was that the person had a vast concentration of Ki that had to have been the source of the power needed to defeat the near divine being. Frowning, she directed the Gates to focus on the event rather than the anomaly. What she saw boggled her mind.

The fight was more intense and insane than any battle the Sailor Scouts had been through, with a level of combat prowess that took her breath away. When the unpowered human anomaly created a vortex of fire from personal power mixed with Saffron's all she could do was gape in disbelief. That sort of attack would certainly throw the girls for a loop. Hell, it was throwing her for a loop and she had seen the Scouts back in their heyday during the Silver Millennium. Paying attention to the conversations of those around the anomaly she managed to pick up a name, Ranma Saotome. Good, something to work from. She needed to find out more about this Saotome person in order to figure out what this would do to the future. Since things were still in flux the future images hadn't become fully readable.

This lead to her first problem: Saotome did not show up in the Gates. After cursing for a while, she realized that she would need to run the histories of the people around them just to figure out basic information. Hopefully whatever was going on with Hotaru wasn't all that bad as this was going to take a while.

In actual Spacetme, things with Hotaru were not going that well. When Haruka and Micheru reached the bathroom where the scream had originated they froze in the doorway gaping at their adopted daughter, their minds barely able to follow the events occurring in front of them. Hotaru was standing naked in front of the mirror, but a Hotaru that wasn't the one they had tucked into bed that night. Tears filled Hotaru's eyes as she looked over at her parents, stretching out her now larger hands. "Mama, Papa… how could this happen?"

There were no answers.

Ranma lay back on the roof of the Tendo's house, the tiles pressing into his back comfortably. Like usual he was up here staring at the stars and pondering his life. All his life all he had to comfort him was the night sky, all those stars and planets shining down on everyone. He had killed someone. That realization chilled his soul. Sure Saffron would be reborn out of his new egg but still Ranma had killed him. To save Akane he had done something he had never wanted to do, something he had practically vowed never to do. He had killed for her and yet things were no better than before. The marriage debacle resulted in a severe beating of the fathers, but part of the fallout was the realization that Akane apparently did not share his feelings.

Added on top of that whole mess was the fact that Saffron's assistant, Kiima, had shown up earlier today while he had been alone, to drop off a rosewood box, her face pale, unsure of what she was doing. She had been brusque, hesitant, worried, all things that made Ranma concerned about what was in the box. Ranma had not opened it. It was safely it his weapon space so his father could not get to it. If there was one thing that his time here had shown him, it was that he needed privacy to find out what it was and that was nearly impossible to find in Nerima.

While the box itself was odd, Kiima's words were worse. They were formal, despite how they were broken up by her nerves. And really, what the hell did they mean? Sure it said one thing but was that honestly all there was? The slayer of the immortal was to be gifted an ancient treasure of their people. What the hell did that even mean? It had to be magic and his experiences with magic made him wary and so he hung back, resisting the urge to open it. Could he trust a gift from the Phoenix tribe? Should he?

He thought about the situation he was in: vilified by a number of people, called pervert, beaten daily, occasionally poisoned, chased by people he wanted as friends, cut off from those he would rather have connection with. Maybe what he needed was to not be here? To leave the Tendos, maybe go stay with his mother for a while, or find a place of his own? There was no way it could be worse than here, at least he hoped not. Maybe that was what he needed, a break from the way things were to find some sort of balance in his life. The chaos around him made that difficult to find and it was all he wanted.

The house was blessedly quiet at this time of the evening. He slipped from the roof and down through the window before he grabbed his pack. He needed to be quiet since his father and Mr. Tendo were still drinking sake and playing shogi, but they had consumed enough sake to dull the senses enough to make this easier. But first he needed to let Kasumi know what he was doing. Despite everything he knew that simply leaving without telling Kasumi would make him feel bad for days. Sure Nabiki would find out but if he told Kasumi nothing then what could Nabiki work from?

Not hearing noises from the kitchen, Ranma moved over the roof towards where the bedrooms were. If Kasumi were done for the day she would be in her room, relaxing before another full day caring for mostly ungrateful people. Hooking his feet to the gutters, Ranma flipped upside down before tapping on the window. After a short delay Kasumi opened the window, eyes wide, hand over her mouth. "Oh my, can I help you Ranma?"

With a slight blush of embarrassment, Ranma said, "I'm talking off for a while Kasumi and I didn't want you to worry. I wanted to let you know I was going."

The older sister scrutinized him briefly, "A training trip?"

He shrugged, "Pretty much. I need to get out there, train, and clear my head. Thank you for everything Kasumi."

"Take care Ranma." Kasumi watched him leave, a look on her face that he couldn't interpret.

With that out of the way, Ranma ran off into the night, heading away from Nerima at a very good clip. Roof hopping towards Azabu-Juuban in the Minato ward and where his mother's rebuilt home was. It was funny that her response to the destroyed house was to move to a new place and rebuild there. It was almost as if she were trying to get away from Nerima as well.

Ranma pondered where he would open the box. He honestly wanted to know what was in there despite how nervous it made him. Something about it felt odd, off. Besides, who knew what it was? If it had something that could help with his damn fiancée issues it would be worth all the grief involved.

Midway between the two areas he came across a canal in a more industrial area. He smiled to himself, this seemed perfect. No matter what happened it would be unlikely that anyone would get harmed, since he could hear no sounds of workers nearby. This should be a safe space.

Sitting on the concrete slope towards the bottom of the canal, Ranma pulled the box out of weapon space. He had to admit that the box was nice. The workmanship that went in to it was amazing. The Phoenix motif carved into the rosewood was impressive, nearly lifelike in the level of detail. Being cautious, Ranma coiled his legs under him, ready to spring to safety if needed to before reaching out to lift the lid.

Nothing happened.

Looking inside, Ranma saw a pair of bracers that appeared to be made of red gold, almost holding flames under the surface of the metal, resting in a lining of red, raw silk. Frowning, he glanced through the box to see if there was anything else. Nothing. These bracers were the ancient treasure of the Phoenix tribe?

He had to admit that they were pretty cool, what with the appearance of fire and everything. Visually they were stunning, with a Phoenix wound around the metal on each bracer. The eyes, made out of some red gem stone, seemed to glow in the dark. There was some sort of energy there, a little like magic, a little like ki, and definitely strong. Since there was no letter to explain anything Ranma figured that all he could to was put them on. This might not be the brightest idea ever but what else was he supposed to do? Trust the Old Ghoul to tell him what these were?

Despite the fact that there was no clasp on them, they slid on easily, apparently resizing themselves to fit his muscular forearms, before tightening again. They were cold but he could feel the metal warming up from the heat of his skin. If these things were strong enough they might make it less painful to block pork butts punches, which he had to admit had some appeal. They could even stop blades if he needed that. Suddenly the bracers flared with an orange gold fire that consumed him.

The world disappeared in a tornado of flames that brought his back to Jusendo and he found himself before a giant bright red bird a good bit taller than he was. He slid into stance, sure something bad was going to happen.

The bird looked down at Ranma, cocking its head to one side and then the other. He could feel himself being appraised and it was unnerving. The gaze of the creature was intense and nearly overpowering. Before he could relax, sensing no imminent violence, a power filled female voice sounded in his head, "You are not one of my people."

At a loss for words, he replied with his usual charm. "Um… yeah."

"And You defeated Saffron?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Ranma growled out.

There was a moment of extreme scrutiny, the giant bird leaning forward, looming over Ranma. Then it pulled back, "I see his fire burned with corruption. Interesting."

Ranma had no idea what to say to that and before he could even attempt words it continued. "Thank you for sending him back to the purifying flames."

"Uhm… You're welcome?"

"Now, what do I do with you?"

Ranma swallowed heavily at the question. This could be very, very bad if the giant squab came for him. Then something it had said registered, "You said purifying flames, right?"

The giant Phoenix cocked its head the other way before the voice sounded in his head, "I did."

"Does that mean that you could burn my curse free?"

A long slow blink, "I can, however you must be aware that there are some…"

"Yeah, there always are." Ranma waved the warnings off. There were always warnings. "Can you do it or not?"

Another slow blink. "If you are sure that is what you want, but I must tell you..."

"I'm sure." Ranma was so excited. His curse would be gone. He was practically beside himself in joy. He could finally be free to get back to his own life.

The Phoenix looked at him with something akin to pity before fire engulfed him. Despite feeling his body burning away it didn't exactly hurt. It was the strangest feeling he had ever experienced, warm, relaxing, and marrow deep. Bits of the flame licked with black, impurities burning free from his flesh. The fire receded and he felt lighter somehow. Then Ranma opened his eyes and looked down at himself. He cursed, "What the Hell?"

The voice of the Phoenix was filled with amusement as it chided him, "If you had listened to me you would have understood the consequences of this act. I did try to warn you."

Ranma lowered his head and sighed. He had pulled a Genma, just like at Jusenkyo, rushed in without paying attention to the warnings. He was a bit sheepish as he asked, "I don't suppose you could turn me back?"

"To burn the curse free from you I needed to fill you with my power. That power would mean you would become my champion here in the mortal realm. As I am female, being a font of life and rebirth, so would you become one as well." The voice was very understanding as it continued. "However all is not lost. As my champion you have gained powers and lost both the rest of the Jusenkyo curse and the curse of the nekoken, your body healed from all damage."

"Lost the nekoken?" Maybe there was an actual upside to this despite being locked in his cursed form again.

"Yes. The skills you learned are there, but the fear had been burned from you. Your body and soul are as pure as I can make them, using your cursed form to give you a female body."

That didn't sound so bad all things considered. Besides being a girl, there had to be another catch, there always was. "So, what exactly does being your champion entail?"

"It requires you to fight against the forces of death that plague this world. Basically protecting life where you can."

That didn't sound so bad. As a martial artist he was dedicated to protecting the weak so it was already something he had planned on doing anyway. However, Ranma was sure he had heard wrong. There was something in what the Phoenix said that didn't sit right, or was it something implied? He wasn't sure. "So, what you are saying is that I'm a magical girl?"

"Yes."

"With those dumb skirts, flashing all those perverts every time I leap about?"

Again Phoenix cocked her head, "Skirts?"

Before he could accept this he had to know, "What am I supposed to wear as your champion when I go to battle?"

Fire rolled up his female body in a flaming curtain. As it receded, it revealed a red and gold sleeveless cheongsam with an embroidered Phoenix on the back, a gold sash tied around the waist. Ranma wrote black pants underneath that like he usually wore and soft ankle boots in red and gold. Looking at the provided reflection shimmering in the air, he noted that his red hair was no longer in a pigtail but rather in twin tails coming from the base of his head, holding his hair out of the way. Ranma shrugged, "It could be worse."

"You don't like it?" asked Phoenix.

"No, it's okay and covers me. I just wish this agreement didn't leave me female." He had been locked before but this seemed far more permanent. But one thing he had learned, so long as he was alive there were options. There was always some other way to mess with fate. He just needed to look for a way to fix this and over time an opportunity would present itself. Maybe water from the pool of drowned man?

"Good. Now in Juuban you will find others who have powers similar to those I have gifted you and they fight against evil. Join them as they can help you become my champion more fully," ordered Phoenix.

"Sure, but they better not try to be my fiancée or we'll have words!" There had been too many women chasing after him for him to be comfortable with that notion. Besides, if he was a girl that should cut down on that possibility… right? He sighed, really what was his luck in that arena?

"Then we are settled. Go forth and find those others. We shall speak again." The flames vanished, leaving a transformed Ranma standing next to the box back in the canal, the flames dancing more under the surface of the bracers than before.

He looked down at his still female body and said, "Well damn."


	2. Chapter 2

Phoenix Moon

Here is the usual spiel… I am neither Rumiko Takahashi nor am I Naoko Takeuchi thus I expect nothing resembling income for this diversion. It is simply my own personal fanfic. And if your life resembles this story I feel so sorry for you. You have my condolences.

A/N: Well, things continue. I hope you all enjoy the developments. I know some people mentioned that there isn't as much originality as they wanted. So it goes. I always start small before I get to warping a story universe.

This chapter also takes me over one million words posted on the site. I am very excited to have reached that landmark.

Odangos and Fire

"Well damn." That was really all Ranma could say to this situation because he had done this to himself and there really wasn't a lot he could do. He had actually pulled a Genma, acted without thinking, believing that he knew all the issues. How was he supposed to get better if he constantly acted like the Panda?

And what did it mean to get better? In Nerima all he was doing was running in place, the same misadventures, the same people, every time. Sure the physical part of his art grew, but what about the mental, the spiritual? He knew there was more to the art than the things that Genma had taught him, because some of his best teachers had been monks who showed how the mind and spirit could magnify the physical. Ki attacks were after all a bit of those two brought into the physical. The Hiryu Shoten Ha was something where you had to realize that the attacker was burning their ki and then move to pull them in. It was far more mental than physical. If it hadn't been how could he have managed to use it while under the moxabustion?

No, he needed to slow down and think more. Be more like Nabiki than Akane, though he didn't get set off as fast as she did. If he could think and focus his spirit more while fighting then he could easily get better. With a fierce grin he vowed to himself to get better.

So now what? He was female and tied to the mystical Phoenix. There really was no easy way to explain that, because people would ask if he had known about the side effects and then he would have to admit… no, he would need to be out on his own for a while. That would give him time to learn his new skills and discover what had changed, besides becoming a stupid magical girl.

Maybe he needed to find a place to camp for the night and go over things in the morning. That should give him enough time to get his feet under him. Maybe going to live with Mom wouldn't be as much help as he thought? He didn't know but he certainly needed to put some thought into things for a change. Once he found a street light he pulled free a map of the Tokyo region and checked his course towards Juuban. There were several parks and such in Minato ward that could be of some use. That's where he would head, at least at the start.

Heading towards Azabu-Juuban, Ranma stopped a few more times to make sure she wasn't pulling a Ryoga, since this was an area he hadn't really traveled through. Better to learn from the stupidity of Porkbutt than make the same mistakes. After double checking a street sign and noting that he was getting close to one of the parks he had marked, Ranma leapt back to the roof. Once up there he could make out the sounds of battle filling the air. A fight was just the thing to get his mind of his troubles.

The sound lead him in the direction of the park he had focused on when looking at that map. That was strange but the prospect of a fight brushed that coincidence out of his mind. He reached a park fairly quickly and glanced around to see if he could find the cause of the disturbance. There was a street light that would raise her above some hedges that were blocking her view. Once up there, he stared at the sight before him.

In a clearing, there were a group of young women dressed in those terrible short skirts he was so glad he avoided fighting a group of beings that just radiated death and evil. The evil creatures were more than holding their own, being reptilian creatures made of claws and teeth and spines and horns. While it looked like only some of the clothes were torn, the hits seemed to be getting closer and closer to the young women. Setting his backpack down, Ranma grinned. This looked fun.

With a powerful leap, Ranma landed a jump kick into the back of the head of one of the things, her smaller foot finding a spine free spot with ease. The blow staggered the creature, making it stumble forward which allowed one of the magical girls attacks to land, knocking it onto its back.

This girl with odangos yelled out, "Mercury, what are these things?"

A girl with almost blue hair that gave him an Akane flashback yelled back, "I don't know. I'm still scanning."

The nearest girl to not-Akane, who was dressed in a green skirt, and also the one who had scored the hit, yelled at her, "Get back! They could hurt you!"

Casually dodging a swipe of a claw as almost an afterthought, Ranma gave her his trademark smirk, enjoying this challenge, "Nah, I got this."

The girl in green gaped as Ranma turned to face the creature, sliding under a swipe before yelling, "Amiguriken strike!"

Hundreds of blows hit the creature in seconds, driving it backwards. Ranma frowned as his attack hadn't done as much damage as he had expected. Maybe he shouldn't have pulled his force as much? That slight moment of inattention allowed a scaled fist to slam into his chest, flinging him back into a tree.

She groaned from the pain. What was surprising was that the lizard things hit harder than anything Pigboy dished out normally. Maybe he needed something more in order to help defeat these things? Phoenix's voice filled his head, sounding amused, "You know Ranma, there is a reason I empowered you."

Rubbing the back of her head sheepishly at the chiding, Ranma replied, "Yeah, sorry about that."

The voice chuckled as Ranma kipped back up to his feet. Crossing his arms in front of him, he went with what felt right as he called out, "Phoenix Flame Transform!"

Flames roared up around her, a swirling mass of flame that easily reached twice his height before winking out completely. There stood Ranma in her transformed state, dressed in the Cheongsam and pants, grinning wildly. Now was time to test these new skills out, to see if getting locked was worth the cost.

Before he had a chance to move, this one girl in a purple skirt holding a glaive, got swept from her feet by a tail swipe, the creature now right on top of her, claws ready to rend. Using her speed, Ranma zipped over there, hoping to get there before the creature tore the girl to shreds. Reaching the girl in the blink of an eye, he grinned in satisfaction. If it boosted his speed that much, what had it done to everything else? This put normal Amiguriken speeds to shame.

His first hit drove it off the girl, making it tumble some before bounding to its feet. Ranma was right there and yelled out, "Amiguriken revised, fire strike!"

Flames engulfed his hands and in a blur he drove his fists into the same two spots as fast and as hard as he could. He had to have landed twice as many blows as earlier, which made him grin like a loon. It was so fast that the attack looked like two beams of fire drove into the creature. It was flung back, carapace shattered, rolling bonelessly. "Deep Submerge!"

When that water based attack hit the creature, it puffed into dust, gone. That was unexpected but given the move he had just pulled he wasn't that surprised. Ranma turned, grinning happily, and helped the girl in purple too her feet. The girl smiled at him nervously before stammering out, "Thank you."

Flipping the glaive into the air with her foot, sending it spinning before catching it, Ranma said, "No problem. Happy to help."

Staring at the glaive being held effortlessly in the Ranma's hand, the girl looked at Ranma then back at the glaive as if something was wrong. This made Ranma nervous, "What?"

"Nothing." The girl took the weapon before adding, "I'm Sailor Saturn."

He was about to reply with his name, when a throat clearing sound in his head reminded him to go with his new identity. "I'm the Phoenix Champion."

Sensing a second creature rushing towards her back, Ranma kicked behind him, driving his heel into its face with a loud crunch. "Excuse me a moment."

Cupping his hands to his side, as if preparing for a Moko Takabashi, Ranma focused on the fires within himself, pushing them into his hands. This was another attack that just came into his mind and he was okay with that. He thrust his hands forward, yelling, "Phoenix Flame!"

A swirling mass of blue white fire flew from his hands, driving into the creature. Smoking, embers marring its chest, the creature stumbled backwards into a lightning attack from the girl in green, vanishing into dust as electricity arced around it. With the numbers thinned, the others made short work of the rest. Noting this, Ranma stopped what he was doing and went back to talking with Sailor Saturn, "So you girls do this a lot?"

"Yes, but mostly recently. We had a bit of a lull after some… things, which was nice."

"That's nice. I was looking forward to a lull in the madness around me but then this happened and I stumbled into your fight." Ranma said, gesturing to himself.

It was impossible not to notice the others gathering around them. Seriously, they weren't even subtle. Ranma wasn't worried, she was fairly certain that even if she couldn't beat them that the Saotome Final Attack would get him free. The odango girl stepped closer and asked, "Who are you?"

"The Phoenix Champion, but since that is a mouthful I guess you could just call me Phoenix." Ranma shrugged. Did it really matter what he was called?

This girl with red trim moved forward aggressively, which was the exact opposite of intimidating. "Why did you get involved in our fight?"

Ranma shrugged again. He did a lot of that. Maybe he should do something about that? "You looked like you could use a hand. I was here so I might as well help. It is a Martial Artists duty to help people. Well that and since those things are creatures of death and rather unnatural, my boss said I should join in. I was happy to do so."

This woman holding a giant key of all things asked, "Who's your boss?"

Ranma narrowed her eyes. It seemed as it was more of a leading question as opposed to anything else. If it was one thing that Nabiki taught him, it was catching those sorts of details. "The Phoenix. I thought my name gave that away?"

A few of the girls giggled at that, including Saturn, which made Ranma smile. The girl had a lovely smile, better than Akane's.

Odango spoke up again, "Well thank you very much Phoenix. You helped turn the tide. We could have beaten them but it certainly would have taken a lot longer."

Scratching the back of her head nervously, Ranma replied, "No problem. I was happy to help."

Before anyone had time to say anything else, Saturn stuttered out, cheeks flushing brightly, "D-did you want to help us fight these things? I mean, if they come back or something."

Now that was a great idea. Fighting these creatures was a decent workout and maybe he could learn something from watching the others fight. "That sounds fun. Those things were a decent challenge though I need to work on fighting them untransfofmed as I didn't hit hard enough."

The girls goggled at her. Was she serious? The one in read asked with some disbelief in her voice, "Fight them untransfofmed?"

"Well, sure. I mean, training is important and besides, won't there be times when you don't have the time to transform if you intend to save someone? Anyway, I guess I'll see you around?"

"Absolutely!" answered Saturn excitedly, hands clasped in front of her. This got the other girls to stare at her a little in confusion, especially the pretty boy and the girl with teal hair.

Odango nodded. "That would be nice. How can we contact you?"

"Uh… I don't know." Ranma scratched the back of his head again. Maybe he needed one of those phone thingies?

The girl sighed before it was clear that an idea hit her, "Well, I guess we can give you one of our communicators if you are going to be our ally."

The pretty boy one asked brusquely, "Are you sure that's a good idea, your Majesty?"

The title got Ranma to cock an eyebrow questioningly. Odango looked at Ranma intently before nodding, "Yes Uranus, I'm sure. Venus, give her yours."

"But it's mine." whined the girl with the orange trim.

"Artemis can always get you a new one," pointed out Odango.

The now identified Venus grumbled and tossed him a rather girly looking watch. Ranma caught it and sighed. He was doomed to girlyness, no doubt about that.

"Let me introduce everyone before you go. I'm Sailor Moon."

"Eh? Pretty Boy called you your Majesty. What's that all about?"

Sailor Moon blushed some and added, "I'm the Moon Queen."

"Ah… that makes sense I guess."

Sailor Moon then began pointing to the other girls, naming them as she went. Ranma nodded along, trying to remember all the names. "That's Sailor Mercury in blue, That's Venus, she's the one who gave you the communicator. Mars is next followed by Jupiter. You met Saturn already. Then Uranus, Neptune, and lastly Pluto. We're the Sailor Senshi!"

"Uhm… Hi. Well, it was great meeting you girls but I still have to go find a place to sleep for the night. Talk to you later. Bye Saturn."

As the Ranma started to bound away towards his backpack, Saturn stuttered out, "Wait! You can come stay at our house if you need a place to stay!"

Three Senshi turned to face Saturn in complete shock that she had made such an outburst. The rest turned to face the blushing Senshi with interest burning in their eyes. Venus asked, "Is there something you wanted to tell us?"

"Like what?" squeaked Saturn, aware that The Phoenix Champion was staring at her as if the girl couldn't figure out what to say.

"You and Phoenix were over there snug in a cuddle as a rug in a bug while we were all fighting."

Jupiter rubbed her forehead, "That's bug in a rug Venus."

Venus glanced over at her fellow senshi who seemed to be agreeing with Jupiter and replied, "That doesn't make any sense. Anyway, you two looked quite cozy. I just knew this growth spurt would be good for you."

Saturn's face was bright red, the heat feeling worse than a sunburn. Waking up in a sixteen year old body had been rather disorienting to be sure. Her first thoughts had been that she had become the somewhat evil adult version of herself. Thankfully her parents had been able to help talk her down from that fright. Now she had no idea what was going on. "I… no… we were just talking."

"Uh huh… we'll talk about this later." Venus gave a wink.

Saturn just grumbled as Ranma stammered out, "I… uh… were you serious about giving me a place to stay?"

Saturn turned towards her parents and gave them the best puppy dog eyes she could manage. Uranus groaned and said, "Yeah, might as well come along."

Saturn beamed happily and Ranma was a bit unsure about what had just happened. Why did he feel like he was walking into the lion's den?


	3. Chapter 3

Phoenix Moon

Here is the usual spiel… I am neither Rumiko Takahashi nor am I Naoko Takeuchi thus I expect nothing resembling income for this diversion. It is simply my own personal fanfic. And if your life resembles this story I feel so sorry for you. You have my condolences.

A/N: Sorry it has been a while since this was updated. Fair warning, I am trying to finish the next chapter before I post so I am at least moving in a direction. I am also caught up in professional work and in my work with Veterans Stand. Those things take priority so that needs to be considered. I am trying to make sure I complete my stories but there are limitations, just saying.

Anyway, please enjoy the story.

Here's Ranma, again

They four of them roof hopped a ways before the Senshi with the key, Sailor Pluto if he remembered correctly, casually mentioned, "You know, staying with us means that we will learn who you are."

Ranma gulped and nodded. How bad was this going to be? And when she said learn who you are did that include all the madness of Nerima? He had wanted to get away from all that and this wouldn't help.

"Mama, Phoenix showed up at the fight untransformed, so we already know what she looks like," countered Saturn. "Remember, short, red hair…?"

Ranma sighed. He had forgotten that fact, especially with getting lost in the fight. Well hell. With a slight shift in focus he dropped the Phoenix Champion form and returned to his now normal red headed form. This surprised the Senshi as Ranma was still able to keep up while roof hopping, partially because the distances were ones he was used to. This was pretty much par for the course.

The Senshi stopped on a rooftop ahead as did Ranma. He turned to face them. They were all looking at him with some degree of confusion and interest. Shifting nervously, he wasn't sure what to say. The teal haired one, Uranus, said, "And your name Miss?"

Ranma fought rolling his eyes. Yes he was in a female body but he was still who he was, not that they really knew from that. "Saotome Ranma, sorry about this."

Neptune looked at her rather confused, "Sorry about what?"

Ranma stopped scratching the back of his head, realizing that he wasn't gender changed as much as he was locked and he hadn't really entered into things with them awkwardly. "Uh… never mind. I guess I just got used to saying it that way."

The Senshi all shared a look, as if trying to make any sort sense of this. Pluto had an idea, as she had heard the name around the anomaly but had not seen the actual person. So this Ranma was the anomaly? But wasn't the anomaly supposed to be male based off what she had heard? She would definitely keep an eye on this Ranma to see if it was indeed the one that the Gates had shown. Saturn asked, "So you can roof jump without being transformed?"

Ranma shrugged noncommittedly, "Sure. I'm a martial artist and its something I've learned."

Uranus stepped in before things went on fof too long, "We can talk about that later, after we have gotten home. It wouldn't be fair to have Ranma carry us all the rest of the way."

Ranma thought about that. None of them looked to be all that heavy and he had carried heavier weights to be sure. However… balancing four people… that could be tricky, especially if they squirmed. "I could do that if you wanted."

They all stared at him, surprise on their faces. Nervously he asked, "What?"

"You mean to say you could carry all four of us?"

"Ah… probably. Its not the weight, but rather the balancing of four people that would be the trick. But I suppose I could manage that." He shrugged.

"Seriously?" asked Uranus.

"Uhm… yeah." Ranma was a bit confused now. Hadn't he just said that? "I mean, you are all roof hopping. Can't you do that?"

Shaking their heads the girls all indicated a no. Ranma looked a bit confused. They were all powerful fighters, so the notion that the group of them couldn't do something as simple as roof hopping boggled him. "Hunh."

"What?" asked Neptune.

"Well, I figured that people with your levels of power would be able to do this. You mean that you have no real power untransformed?" asked Ranma rather bluntly.

"That's kind of rude!" growled Uranus.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just used to very high end martial artists who can do a lot of the same things, only without some of your powers. You should see…" Ranma scratched the back of his head. He really did have a skill at foot in mouth. "Uhm… I guess we can talk about this when we get to your place?"

Pluto rolled her eyes while Saturn giggled. They continued on, Ranma following the Senshi, finally dropping to the ground in the backyard of a multi-story house. It was a western style building, quite unlike the Tendo Dojo. Ranma wasn't sure if he liked it yet or not but he had to admit that the place spoke of wealth. Nabiki would love this place. As he looked around the back yard he realized that there was a decent enough size that he should be able to practice his forms without too much hassle. There was a swirl of lights and as he turned he saw that four women stood before him.

Ranma was surprised. They looked almost the same as they did in their transformed state. Granted he was the same but he was kind of expecting something different. The one called Pluto, pointed to everyone as she introduced them. "This is Ten'ou Haruka," Pluto pointed to a kind of pretty boy girl, nearly like Ukyo in some respects. If he remembered correctly that was Uranus. "Her partner Kaiou Michiru." Then came the girl with teal colored hair that could have been from the Amazons, who Sailor Moon had called Neptune. It was a bit strange seeing Amazon hair on a non-Amazon but she did have a pretty smile. "You spoke with Tomoe Hotaru during the fight." The girl was about his age and had a haircut that reminded him of Nabiki. If it weren't for her shy smile Ranma might have been worried. "And I am Meiou Setsuna."

Ranma took in the sight of the tall long haired woman unlike anyone he had met before. She sort of combined the old ghoul and Hinako Sensei in the way she carried herself, wise and busty. It was not an image he was comfortable with, too many bad associations with those two. He bowed formally and was at his most polite, "Thank you for inviting me to your house and into your trust."

Haruka grumbled, "Yeah, well, if the Princess accepts you then we do as well, despite reservations."

Ranma raised an eyebrow, but didn't follow it up. There was something else going on there that he honestly did not want to get involved with. He just really wanted to find a place to put down his bag and take a hot bath. "Uhm… where am I going to stay?"

Hotaru came over and said, "I'll take your bag and show you to the guest room."

Ranma tried to protest but Hotaru moved quickly to pull it down his arms. Knowing that disaster was immanent, he spun and plucked up the bag as it tried to crush Hotaru underneath it. "OW!"

"Sorry. My backpack is rather heavy. I'll be fine carrying it. Are you ok?" Ranma was holding his backpack one handed and reached down to help Hotaru with the other. She looked up at him with wide eyes, knowing just how heavy that bag was.

Hotaru took Ranma's hand and got to her feet, blushing furiously. "That was so heavy."

Ranma rubbed the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed for some reason, "Yeah, its for training."

Hotaru lead him off upstairs, giving him a little tour of the house in the process. Once in the guest room, which was overly feminine for his taste, Ranma put his pack down against the wall and grabbed his shorts and tank top, wanting to have something to change into after the bath. The room was okay, having a western bed like Akane had. Not used to anything besides a futon he was interested to see what it was like.

Taking his things he walked down the hall to the bathroom. At least this wasn't completely western. He walked in, closing the door behind him before getting undressed. He headed to the shower and washed before lowering himself into the large furo that they had. It was strange being in hot water in his female body, but Ranma figured that he had better get used to it, as he had no idea how he was going to return to his original body. Sure it wasn't the first time he had been in this situation but it did feel like it was going to be a longer stay this time.

Ranma looked down at his body and sighed. He was a guy damnit but here he was, stuck in his female form yet again. Considering his life it seemed like things conspired a lot to get him locked into this form. Maybe it was just something that happened to people with Jusenkyo curses? But then again, Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse didn't seem to have that issue. Who even knew? Also, did thinking of himself as a him even make sense with a female body, a female body he was stuck in for a while? This line of thought always made his head hurt but he figured that he might as well take it into consideration. He had started using female terms for himself after a while when he had gotten locked, because it made more sense. And he was going to be like this for a while, so maybe it would be better for him to…?

The door opened and the other women of the house came in and Ranma eeped and lowered herself deeper in the water, covering his eyes with his hands. Why did this always seem to happen to her? Why did people always walk in on him in the bath? Was it part of the Jusenkyo curse? Setsuna and Haruka caught this action and Haruka asked, "What's wrong Ranma?"

"I… I'm a guy." She winced expecting a beating. There was no way that statement ever sounded good.

"You're a guy? With that body?" quipped Haruka.

"Yes," growled out Ranma. Why did people always doubt her when she said she was a guy?

"Like a Starlight?" asked Hotaru.

"A what?" Ranma almost uncovered her eyes to stare at the girl. That wasn't a term she was familiar with. Before her eyes were completely open, she caught herself and covered her eyes even tighter.

Setsuna sighed. "Ranma, the answer to that will take a while. Would you rather we leave while you finish your bath or will you cope with this, as we all have female bodies right now?"

Ranma sighed. He… she probably needed to get used to this as she was going to go to school and that included gym. There were going to be girls around her in various stages of undress. There was no way to escape that fact. She would have to be over this before she got to the school or it could create a problem all on its own. "Stay. I'm locked so there is no point in fighting it."

"Locked?" asked Michiru.

"Ah… that will take a while to explain." This was not how she wanted to start out her stay, that's for sure.

Setsuna cleared her throat. "Why don't we all go downstairs and fix some tea. We need to talk."

Ranma sighed in relief and as the door closed hopped out and stared drying herself. Throwing on some clothes Ranma headed to the living room. The other four were heading in with a tray of tea, which was set down on the coffee table. Once they were all seated, with a pot of tea to share, Ranma sat back and sighed. "I'll go first since I'm the guest. If you decide not to let me stay there is no reason to explain your part."

The Outers all shared a somewhat confused look and then looked back at Ranma. She continued, "Okay, I am the only son of Genma and Nodoka Saotome. When I was five, I was taken away by my father for a training trip that lasted most of my life. We traveled all over and I trained with him and with other Masters to basically become the best martial artist of my generation. The important thing to realize is that my father is an idiot. His training techniques are barely this side of torture, but were effective. Being chased by wolves to work on speed is just one of them. Well, despite traveling all over Asia and other parts, my father cannot read Chinese and barely speaks it. Because of this we ended up at the Cursed Springs of Jyusenkyo. It is a huge valley dotted with pools, pieces of bamboo sticking out of them. My father thought this would be a great place to train. What he didn't read or bother to talk to the local guide there, was that these pools really were cursed."

He took a sip of his tea. It was nice and soothing. "So as we were fighting, I knocked my father into one of the pools. What came out of the water after me was not my father but a Panda wearing his clothes."

"No way," said Haruka.

Ranma shrugged. "My reaction as well pretty much. He had been knocked into the pool of drowned panda, and once wet turned into a panda. I was so distracted that I got knocked into the pool of drowned girl. Before I got locked into my cursed form I used to change with water: cold water would activate the curse and hot water would dismiss it."

"So you aren't kidding about being a boy?" Micheru looked worried.

"Nope. I was born a boy and despite looking like this, I'm still a boy."

"And so locked means that you cannot change back to your original form?" clarified Setsuna.

"Yes. But this time I agreed to it. Well, more like I jumped into things when I should have waited."

"You didn't look before you leapt?" asked Micheru.

With a bit of a blush, Ranma rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. This isn't the first time I've been locked. The other times it was done to me. This time it was done by myself. Anyway, my last year and a half I've been in Nerima, and things got really Chaotic." Ranma frowned thinking about his last few years, ever since the cursed springs.

"Are you ok Ranma?" asked Hotaru, concerned for him.

Ranma shrugged. "Mostly. It has been rough. I have multiple fiancées, mostly thanks to my idiot father, who in one case engaged me for some rice and pickles. I have friends that want to kill me. I fought someone who thought he was a God and had to kill him. So it hasn't been good."

"Multiple fiancées?" squeaked Hotaru, clearly distraught by this news. She had been having pleasant thoughts about Phoenix and this certainly threw a wrench in the works.

"You have no idea. It seems like every time I turn around I discover another one. There's a Chinese Amazon that constantly glomps me. A friend who I didn't know was a girl who my dad engaged me too. Then there is the engagement my dad set up with his best friend. Yeah, not good. Girls and I don't seem to work well." Ranma frowned and lowered her head. This was the biggest crux about why she had to get out of Nerima. Sure the odds were that some of the fiancée nonsense would follow her but it wasn't something she could help.

"And this link to the Phoenix comes from something you got from the Phoenix tribe?" asked Setsuna, wanting to keep things moving. She knew about the Phoenix tribe to some degree and Saffron more so she did honestly want to know.

"Yeah, these bracers. I agreed to the power before I listened to the details. I acted like my Pops and despite being able to help more people I hate that I acted like the baka."

"And that power is what keeps you locked?" followed up Setsuna.

"Yes."

"Can you give up the power to turn back?"

Ranma started. That wasn't something she had thought of. Inside she asked the Phoenix, 'Is that possible?'

The Phoenix responded sadly, 'Sorry Ranma. The change needed to empower you was permanent. And it's not really something you can just give up.'

'Why not?'

'It is a permanent position. If you had listened I would have told you that.'

Sighing, Ranma answered aloud, "No, apparently that won't work. I'll just have to find another way to regain my manhood. But until then, I'm a girl despite being a guy."

The Outers collectively rubbed their foreheads, feeling headaches coming on. Ranma was making very little actual sense.

"So… Starlights?"

"They're aliens that can turn from male to female," stated Setsuna plainly.

"What?"

Setsuna shook her head. "I think I can better explain things. Over ten thousand years ago there was an interplanetary kingdom that was focused on the Moon. It was destroyed by an invading demonic army sent by one of the nobles from the earth. The group of us are the reincarnated defenders of that kingdom, each tied to different planetary energies. Hence our titles being planet names."

"Okay." This was a little odd for Ranma but not terribly so. "So you do what now?"

"We fight the remnants of that demonic army, and any threats that arise that threaten the planet."

"So that thing tonight?"

"Was either a remnant or something new, but that has yet to be determined. How did you get these powers?"

Ranma rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I beat up and killed a sort of Phoenix God. Not the actual Phoenix mind you, just a guy who claimed to be."

The Outers all stared at each other. Haruka was the first to ask, "A god?"

"Well… he thought so at the very least. And honestly, fighting him was brutal. It took everything I had to keep myself and my friends alive." She had a haunted look thinking about Akane and how she had almost died. Despite how things had turned out, she had still loved her at that point. Maybes he still did, but she wasn't so sure anymore. Time away from all of that madness would be the only way to figure that out.

Setsuna looked stunned. This girl had been the one to kill Saffron and alter Crystal Tokyo? Sure he thoughts were leading it that way but to hear it said so matter-of-factly. Her shock was such that she was not aware that she had whispered, "You…"

Ranma however had caught that and turned to face her. "Me what?"

Setsuna tried to recover, "Nothing. I was just stunned that you managed to kill Saffron."

This however did not have the result of avoiding the topic like she had hoped for. "You know who that Phoenix person is Setsuna-Mama?"

"Uhm… yes. He's been around for a while and unstable for the most part. He pretty much kept to himself in the Kowlun region of China, so wasn't a threat. He is… was nearly as powerful as the Princess without the Stone." explained Setsuna.

"You got that right," grumbled Ranma. "I have never fought that hard before. I held nothing back."

Micheru looked between Ranma and Setsuna, things starting to click fully into place. "And this event… was it a little over a month ago?"

Ranma looked up, surprised. "Uhm… yeah. Why?"

"Wait, this was when Hotaru changed?" asked Haruka.

"You changed? Oh I'm so sorry. What's your curse?" Ranma felt terrible. Curses were rough to deal with.

"Curse?" Hotaru was a touch confused. "All that happened is that I grew older."

"So not a curse?"

"Not a curse."

Ranma sighed in relief. This was not something that she would wish on anyone. But what in the hell was going on?


	4. Chapter 4

Phoenix Moon

Here is the usual spiel… I am neither Rumiko Takahashi nor am I Naoko Takeuchi thus I expect nothing resembling income for this diversion. It is simply my own personal fanfic. And if your life resembles this story I feel so sorry for you. You have my condolences.

A/N: Sorry it has been a while. I have been rather busy with my professional work and that has eaten time and spoons. Add to that being sick for a month and there you have it. I hope you enjoy and I'm sorry for the inconsistent updates.

Blushes and Plans

Ranma woke early as usual, pleased to not be awakening midair enroute towards the pond at the Tendo place. The realization she was not at the Tendo Dojo was immediate thanks to her bed. It was a fairly different sensation. Not that she could complain about anything comfy but it was certainly an unexpected treat. That comfort also gave her a chance to reflect on all that had happened yesterday. Two, well maybe three, big changes in her life in one day which made it like Jusyenko all over again. Falling into that pool had changed her life far beyond all recognition.

Thinking about it, it was all rather crazy. When all taken into account going from being irritated with her life, to deciding to leave for a while, to trying on the bracers, to discovering that there really were magical girls out there fighting the good fight, to the whole craziness of this Moon Kingdom was it any wonder that it sort of felt like her life had utterly shifted again on that same level? Honestly, what the hell was with her life? For most of it she had been screwed over one way or another with no end in sight. She had prayed at all the shrines they had visited, had been a good person, held to honor, and this sort of madness still infested her life? That made her a bit worried about just how bad she had been in a past life to justify this. Really, who had she been to have this much negativity heaped on her? She rubbed her face groaning in annoyance.

Sitting up, Ranma figured that she had been introspective enough for a while. Her body was urging her to get to her morning workout so she had best be about that. Besides, from what she had observed, too much thinking was bad for you. She really did not need to get into a spiral of depressing thoughts. After all she wasn't Ryoga. That thought made her shudder which served to wake her bladder up. After using the bathroom Ranma changed and headed downstairs, managing to find the backyard easily enough thanks to the brief house tour last night. Time to get to work.

A few stretches to warm her body up, Ranma went through her first Kata, designed to ensure her flexibility and strength. It was rather aerial with a number of gymnastics moves thrown in. Less martial than most of her other forms and perfect for making sure that her connection to her female body was perfect. Once she touched down lightly after the end of that, she began one of the more difficult Saotome Ryu forms which she had mixed with some Tendo Ryu forms, ensuring she had the strongest ground and air game that she possibly could. It's mix of fast and slow, hard and soft was very challenging. Most other martial artists would never be able to do this one and that made her happy. At this point, it was all her.

PMPMPMPMPM

It wasn't loud but was constant enough to wake Hotaru. She had been sleeping fitfully because things were lining up very uncomfortably in her head. Ranma's story was of course the problem. If what she suspected was true, that the death of Saffron was the event that changed her, what the hell did that even mean? Why would the death of this Phoenix kami make such a difference to her? It made no sense.

Sure she knew some of the lore, that the Phoenix's body represented celestial bodies, that the creature was both male and female (though she was unclear as to exactly why), and that it was always a positive symbol. It was easy to see how that connected to life energy but then again, why was she effected? She was a planet killer, had the power to destroy life rather than support it. Ok, so her parents had tried to get her to see the positive that she could heal people and protect others but that didn't change the fact that she was someone to be feared. Her parents had tried to kill her because of how scared they were of Saturn awakening. Her light sleep over this is what enabled the faint sounds from the backyard to awaken her.

Yawning, she padded over to her window that overlooked the backyard and she could spot Ranma back there practicing. What was boggling her mind was that Ranma did most of whatever form she was doing in the air. She wasn't flying or anything like that but she had amazing hang time that seemed to defy all logic and clearly poked physics in the eyes. It was also amazingly beautiful.

The martial arts weren't bad either.

Hotaru blushed at that thought and turned away from the window. Her face burned and her mind kept replaying some of those moves in a manner more akin to how her Papa thought, not her. Ranma had told them last night about how bad the girl problems had been in her life before this event and the last thing Hotaru wanted to do was make that worse but did Ranma have to be so stunning? She had never felt this way about anyone before, this urge to start kissing and never come up for air. Well, maybe a little bit towards Chibi-Usa but nothing close to what she currently felt. Part of Hotaru wanted to go down there and discover just what Ranma's lips tasted like.

Her face was now burning almost painfully, the skin taut and radiating heat. Hotaru headed towards the bathroom for a cold shower. This new puberty thing, where she jumped into the deep end of this hormonal soup without warning pretty much sucked. Getting horny all the time, dealing with urges she had never even felt the first stirrings of, and other mortifying things was not a good thing as far as she was concerned. Definitely a cold shower, and she should probably bring an extra pair of panties with her to school. It was embarrassing but sitting around in wet panties was not the most comfortable of feelings.

If her body's change was all because of Ranma killing Saffron, did that make her bodily reactions Ranma's fault? Was she to blame for how horny she was? She turned the water colder and held her head under the stream. Hotaru was sure she did not need this nonsense.

PMPMPMPMPM

"So what are your plans today?" asked Setsuna, as everyone was sitting at the table for breakfast.

Ranma looked up from his rice and shrugged, "I don't know. I'm technically on a training trip and I know that Furinken has allowances for that. I have to decide if I am going to stay here, or travel on. I was also thinking of trying to find my mother as well. If I do stay and try to get into school I am sure Nabiki will find me and all those troubles will follow. I really shouldn't rely on your hospitality though I am grateful for it."

Setsuna nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "If you do decide to stay in Juuban I can help you get registered at Juuban High easily enough. If I use my powers I can probably get access to your school file without there being anything for this Nabiki to discover. That should make things a touch easier for you. Do you have an address for your mother?"

Ranma thought about that. She was sure there was one, right? Or had she planned to look her up in a phone book. Honestly, too much had happened for her to be up on where that was. "Maybe? If I have an address it will be in my pack."

Setsuna smiled at Ranma, "That should be fine. I'll write you a note in case someone decides you're truant. After all, you really did just move here and lost track of your mother. It'll be fine. If some truant officer tries to get you, don't run just smile and hand them the note. It will keep them off your case. After all, Nabiki could find you through the description of you in truancy reports."

That helped Ranma relax some. This was turning out to be a real plan. In some ways that was terrifying because her plans never worked all that well, but if someone else helped then maybe it would be alright? And once she found her mother she could decide what to do. If she were going to stay in the district having Setsuna help her getting registered then it could all work out. "If my mother and I decide for me to stay here is it okay if my first day were Monday?"

Setsuna was pleased, it seemed as if Ranma had a good head on her shoulders. "That should be fine. You aren't missing a lot of class material and Saturday is a halfday. Finding your mother is more important. You can call me if you have any problems. If you are going to be an ally then I am more than happy to help you."

"Right, I can do that," replied Ranma.

Hotaru looked over at Setsuna –Mama with some confusion. Was she trying to help her by trying to make Ranma decide to stay in Juuban? If so then maybe she could eventually date him. Her face warmed and she looked down at her rice bowl while she grabbed a piece of pickled daikon.

"Will you be okay Ranma?" asked Micheru.

"I should be. If I have Mom's address with me I can find her easily enough. Roof hopping can make looking around for an address easier."

Haruka quirked an eyebrow at the red head, "Won't that attract a lot of attention?"

Ranma shrugged, "Maybe but with the note from Setsuna who cares?"

This got people snickering in amusement. As the others left the house, making their way to school, Ranma followed Setsuna into her office. It didn't take but a moment for her to whip up a letter for her and stamp it along with her signature. "There you go."

"Thanks Setsuna."

"No problem Ranma. If you need any help give me a call. And if you want to meet up with the others we are having a meeting this afternoon at Hikawa Shrine."

Ranma folded up the note and put it into a pocket of her shirt. "I might do that. You guys really can't be any worse than the people I know in Nerima."

This got Setsuna to laugh. "I'm not sure if it's an insult or not."

Ranma just smirked.

Setsuna gave a slight wave as Ranma left the house. Hefting her pack, Ranma found and pulled free the slip of paper she had written her mother's address on and sighed. She had no idea where this could be since she was unfamiliar with the local streets. Well, she wouldn't find it if all she did was stand there and be all Pigboy about it. It didn't take much for Ranma to start bounding deeper into Juuban in search of his mother's house. It may take a few hours but she was sure she could find it without too much hassle.


	5. Chapter 5

Phoenix Moon

Here is the usual spiel… I am neither Rumiko Takahashi nor am I Naoko Takeuchi thus I expect nothing resembling income for this diversion. It is simply my own personal fanfic. And if your life resembles this story I feel so sorry for you. You have my condolences.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get to you. Life happens.

Changes and Cookies

Ranma stood on the roof of a building, looking around. She knew she was in the correct area but wasn't able to spot the house. Thinking about it, she snorted. The house was new, how could she possibly remember it? But she did roughly know where the lot was based on the numbers of the other houses on that block and that guided her feet. It shouldn't be long before she made it home. What was she going to tell her mother? Thinking over things, she figured her mother might be okay with the reason she was currently female. Besides she was a super hero now and wasn't that manly?

Bounding to another building, Ranma chuckled. Okay, not quite a super hero, more like a magical girl than anything else, which was true even before the Phoenix. There was no denying that magic made her a girl, thus magical girl. Honestly, the fact that she no longer changed upon getting wet was the best and since this had happened there had been no inadvertent splashes at all. It was great. Some sort of stability in her chaotic life was deeply appreciated.

The lot was just ahead, and the building was far newer than those surrounding. Ranma landed lightly on the street and walked towards the door, hopping over the waist high fence at the front of the property, like the other houses. Knocking lightly, she waited, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

The door opened and her mother's face went from polite to smiling in an instant. "Ranma! Welcome home."

"Hi Mom." This was certainly a positive start to things.

"Do you need some hot water?"

"No, I'm locked again. I'll explain later. Anyway, I left the Tendo's and came here because I felt drawn here to Juuban for some reason. That and things have gotten… interesting." Ranma shrugged at the fact that this was just how her life usually went.

Her mother opened the door wider to let her inside, "Come in. We can talk in the garden. Just let me fix us some tea."

"That would be great Mom, thank you." She followed the rough hand gestures her mother made, walked through the living room, and slid a door open to find a nice engawa looking out onto a rather serene garden. There was some room for training but this lot was far smaller than the Tendo's. She heard the clack of one of the water features filling up and tipping over and just sighed. This… this was nice. It would be a great place to meditate.

"I think this is one of my favorite parts of this new building. The old house wasn't this nice, since it was bought shortly after your father and I married and wasn't very new even then. So I guess, in a way, your friends did us a favor when they destroyed the old place."

Ranma looked over at her mom and took the tray holding the tea service, letting her sit down gracefully. Once both were seated and the first cup enjoyed in silence, her mother Nodoka shifted to better face him. "You mentioned that you got locked. How did it happen this time?"

Blushing, Ranma scratched the back of her head before saying, "Uhm… I pulled a Pops."

It was clear that his mother didn't really understand. "Pardon?"

"I… ah… agreed to what seemed to be a cure for my curse only I didn't wait to hear the details before I agreed and all but demanded it happen. Because of that I'm now female for the foreseeable future."

"What cure?"

Holding up her arms to show the red gold bracers, Ranma replied, "These are from the Phoenix tribe. I fought against their leader to save Akane. Apparently, my defeating him was part of some ancient something or other which meant I was given these bracers. They're magical and connect to the Phoenix, the guardian of life, which was apparently the origin of the Phoenix tribe. She said that her purifying flames could eliminate my curse and heal my body. I didn't bother to get any details, except learning that by doing so I would become her champion, to fight against enemies of life. My jumping in like that with both feet cost me my masculinity."

Her mother looked at her and Ranma could feel the weight of her eyes. Nodoka poured herself another cup of tea and sipped it looking out at the tranquil garden. Ranma sat there nervously, sipping her own tea. Once she put her cup down, Nodoka turned to face Ranma. "I have already judged you to be a man among men, based on other actions. To go against that decision would not be honorable. Besides, this act, agreeing to become a champion of the Phoenix to help others is a very manly act, despite you getting locked in your female form. That is fine. However, if you are to be my daughter now I shall expect you to comport yourself accordingly and to be a woman among women."

Ranma face faulted and groaned. She should have expected that, she really should have. Most of her memories of being around her mother as Ranko were about the woman making her a 'perfect' young lady. However, this time she wanted to get things clarified. "Okay, but what's that even mean?"

Nodoka looked at Ranma as if the answer were obvious, then her cheeks colored and she bowed her head conceding the point. "Fair enough. Since you are currently female, and as you said, will be for the foreseeable future, I expect you to dress appropriately. You also need to work on your manners, eating speed, and speech. I am aware you have many bridal skills from the earlier training with Akane, so we won't be working on that. Just be your own woman Ranma, but the main word there is woman."

Ranma nodded her head. That was a lot less… insane than she had expected in all honesty. Getting new clothes might be helpful as she was basically wearing some of the same clothes she had brought with her from China. And that notion, of being her own woman, that was bouncing around in her head. She knew so many women who carried themselves in so many different ways that the possibilities seemed endless. Akane was such a tomboy but insisted in dressing feminine to compensate. Kasumi was the picture of feminine in all ways. Nabiki was more feminine than Akane and yet she wore slacks and jeans unless she was going out somewhere fancy. That didn't even get into all the other women she knew. Between Asuza from the Golden Pair to Ukyo, there was an incredible range of how women dressed and carried themselves. So, since she was a woman now what kind of woman did she want to be? "I can agree to that."

Her mother beamed in happiness.

PMPMPMPMPM

One of the rooms at the Hikawa shrine was filled with the Sailor Scouts. This meeting had been planned before the arrival of Phoenix, but there was little doubt that the girl was going to be a major topic of conversation when it started. Since the meeting had not turned into anything official, as people were still catching up and such, there were several different threads of conversation going on;

"…were blushing Hotaru, spill!"

"What! She's a boy?"

"Grandfather has mentioned this Jusenkyo, or valley of cursed springs before."

"When you giggle like that it really starts my motor."

"I have cookies."

Makoto's statement brought the different conversations to a screeching halt. The tall girl smiled and held out the tray of cookies, which made all the girl's eyes widen. The scent of the buttery cookies and the chocolate was nearly overpowering. Before Usagi moved towards the cookies, she froze as one statement she had overheard made her pause. She turned to look at Venus, who was still goggling at Pluto and asked, "Wait, what? Phoenix is a boy?"

Setsuna rolled her eyes as Hotaru's blush deepened and Haruka and Micheru giggled. The Senshi of Pluto sighed and said, "When Phoenix arrives she can explain. From what I have managed to see in the Gates, her life has been far, far more interesting than our own so you all need to give her a chance to explain. Trust me when I say that she is an ally we need and would be a terrifying enemy."

"So you looked into her history?" asked Usagi, quirking an eyebrow.

"I did. From what I have seen, she is perhaps the best living martial artist on the planet and that is not an exaggeration. Remember when I told you about the death of the Phoenix King?"

Usagi looked upwards, to the sides, and then down, "Yes? I think I remember that you said that it has something to do with what happened to Hotaru?"

"Yes, and I am no closer to figuring that out. But Saffron, the Phoenix king, is a high level kami. He cannot die, well not forever, as after any death he hatches again. For the last seven hundred years or so, his incarnations have been getting progressively more violent and willing to go to war. I was afraid he would eventually have to be faced by ourselves and I was worried about that fight. He has two magical weapons that channel fire and ice, knows some fire magic, and is a highly trained combatant."

"And Phoenix beat him?" asked one of the Inners quietly, eyes wide in thinking about how tough an opponent that would have been.

"Yes. But what makes this even more amazing it that she did this before being empowered magically by the Phoenix. She was an incredibly trained human who took out a kami."

Makoto blinked a few times, trying to make sense of that, asking, "What martial art does she practice that could make her powerful enough to do that?"

"It is a martial art named Anything Goes."

Makoto blanched and stumbled backwards slightly. The Inners were worried about the cookies for a moment before she settled. "Anything Goes? Really? Anything Goes? My old boyfriend mentioned that school once."

Before anything else could be said, there was a knock at the door. It was opened and there stood Ranma, dressed in slacks and a top that looked she could happily fight in, wearing some short leather boots. The girl looked nervously at the assembled group, "Ah… is this where the meeting is?"

Setsuna smiled and waved the girl in. "Yes, please come in Ranma. Girls, let me introduce you to one of the Masters of the Anything Goes Ryu, Saotome Ranma."

Makoto's eyes widened in recognition of the name as Hotaru smiled brightly at the girl. Reaching up to scratch behind his pigtail, Ranma gave a slight bow and said, "Uhm hello?"

"Saotome Ranma?"

Ranma looked at the tall girl holding a plate full of cookies in confusion. She seemed familiar but wasn't exactly sure why. She really, really hoped that this was not another damned fiancée. "Yes?"

"Did you go to school in Okatama six or seven years ago?"

Ranma wracked his brains to recall some of the places she had stayed during the training trip. It sounded familiar and she had gone to school around that time for a short while. A faint memory arose and she asked, "Near Mt. Odake?"

"Yes! Senpai!" Makoto shoved the plate of cookies into Usagi's hands and raced over to Ranma, hugging her.

Ranma blushed and was unsure what the hell was going on. Then her memory snagged on something. There had only been one person that had called her Senpai, "Wait…? Mako-chan?"

Makoto's face glowed with happiness, "Yes! I am so happy to see you again. But Senpai, I thought you were a boy?"

"Uhm…" Ranma scratched the back of her head, unsure how to proceed. "I was… it's complicated."

Setsuna smirked, "Chinese water based transformation curse."

The Senshi all nodded as if that explained anything, while Ranma was staring at Setsuna. Makoto asked, "So this is your cursed body?"

"Uhm…" Ranma really wasn't sure what to say here. There were too many things hitting her all at once. These girls were the Sailor Senshi from the other night? Mako-chan was here? She was one of the Senshi? When did that happen?

"Her water curse was cured when the Phoenix empowered her. However in doing so the male half was burned away instead of the female, to bring Ranma more in line with the Phoenix's inherent female creative energy."

Ami nodded sagely at that while the others were still trying to parse what had been said. When Makoto caught up, her eyes widened in realization, and she snapped her head to look at Hotaru, back to Ranma, back to Hotaru, back to Ranma, before stomping her foot and grumbling, "S'not fair. Hotaru, you better take care of my Senpai."

Hotaru was the color of Sailor Mars' uniform at that, trying to hide behind her hands. The remaining Inners tittered at this, amused by the meeting and a show they had gotten, nibbling on Makoto's tasty cookies. Ranma meanwhile was looking back and forth between Hotaru and Makoto trying to figure out what in the hell was going on. Setsuna pinched the bridge of her nose and agreed with her earlier assessment; there was almost no way that this was going to end well.


	6. Chapter 6

Phoenix Moon

Here is the usual spiel… I am neither Rumiko Takahashi nor am I Naoko Takeuchi thus I expect nothing resembling income for this diversion. It is simply my own personal fanfic. And if your life resembles this story I feel so sorry for you. You have my condolences.

A/N: Well, another year has come and writing is moving apace. I hope everyone likes the new chapter.

Changes and Tea

"Now that the idiocy is past, can we get on with the meeting?" groaned Setsuna, rubbing her forehead.

The others looked suitably chastised and Usagi somewhat meekly asked, "What should we talk about first?"

Setsuna calmed some and gave Usagi a gentle smile, "The agenda was originally about the new enemy but there is also Phoenix here to consider. We can start either place."

Ranma looked up, a touch confused by that, "What about me?"

"Well, you are a new factor in our defense and need to get to know you. You are our first real long term ally so more than introductions would help." Setsuna knew there would be far more to it but by giving the basics maybe Ranma wouldn't run. So long as Minako didn't throw herself at the boy/girl things should be fine.

That made sense. Nodding, Ranma started off, "Well, I'm Ranma Saotome, or Phoenix if you want. I am one of the best martial artists in the world, if not the best and have been training pretty much all my life in Anything Goes, which is a combat style focused more on combat pragmatism. We take things that work from other arts and combine them with our own discoveries as well. I have three fiancées at the moment, though there may be more out there in all honesty. My father would engage me to anyone if it meant that he could feed himself. I was staying at the Tendo Dojo in Nerima for the last few years but I felt I needed to leave for a while, so I'm on a training trip, sorta. I'm trying to figure things out, because my life has been such chaos and I'm currently stuck as a girl. I'm staying with my mom right now and am looking forward to fighting with you all. That was a lot of fun."

Rei's eye twitched at that comment. Of all the asinine comments that could be made concerning defending the planet from enemies that one irked her the most. "Fun?!"

"Well, yeah." It was clear from the confused look on Ranma's face that she wasn't sure why the miko sounded angry. "Like I said, I need to work more so I can hurt them untransformed, but it was great training. They were tough and quick and made for a fun battle."

Ami jumped in before Rei could respond, well aware that it wouldn't end well, "Ranma, the thing is that for the rest of us, fighting these youma is not fun. It is serious business."

"I guess." Ranma rubbed the back of her head. "But if it's as serious as you say shouldn't you all train more to work better as a team?"

Rei reddened even more, if that were even possible. It almost appeared as if literal steam was coming out of her ears. Usagi was the one to cut her off this time, resting a hand on the miko's shoulder before saying, "I think we work great as a team. We have for a while now and have faced a lot of enemies. Why do you think we need to fight better?"

This was something that Ranma was very comfortable with, combat. It made far more sense than anything else in her life so this was very solid ground for her. And they did ask. "Well, one of the first things I noticed is that Makoto and Haruka both close really quickly despite having decent range attacks, which is fine, but they do so by crossing through lines of fire making some of you hold off attacks and the openings close. I am surprised someone hasn't gotten hit by a stray attack honestly. Also as a group you tend to bunch up, standing in clumps rather than alone, meaning a single powerful attack could hit several of you at the same time and seriously turn the tide in the battle. And Ami, since you seem to be Intel and Overwatch, you are far too close to the fighting. When you are looking for weaknesses you no longer pay attention to your surroundings, which can cost you. There are a few other things I noticed that have to do with individual fighting styles but that is a good place to start."

Setsuna was the only one not gaping at Ranma, since she was familiar with her history at this point. Minako asked curiously, "You got that while we were fighting that one time?"

Ranma shrugged, not getting what the big deal was. "It's what I do."

No one seemed to be able to respond to that. Mostly they looked at each other trying to figure that out. Minako remembered something that grabbed her attention before things devolved into chaos. "Did you say three fiancées earlier?"

Ranma blushed at that, rubbing the back of her neck. Ugh, this really was the worst part of her life right now, "Well… I have three fiancées that have valid cases and are considered official. However that is not all of them. Remember my pops is a greedy idiot. The last number I got from Nabiki about everyone the stupid Panda engaged me to was 47."

"FORTY SEVEN?!"

Ranma winced; figures that actual girls would get irritated with that. She was irritated about that but it was her life. Women seemed to get affronted by that more often than she used to. "Uhm… yeah."

Setsuna smirked. This was fun to watch, since she knew a lot of this already. "If I remember correctly, one engagement was to pay back a bowl of rice and some pickles."

"My old man's an idiot," grumbled Ranma with a shrug, as if that explained everything.

The other Sailor Scouts were gaping, the situation far, far worse than any of them could have imagined. Makoto actually looked utterly horrified, but that was probably because Ranma was her precious Sempai. Minako harrumphed and snapped her fingers in defeat, another cute boy/girl down the drain, "Well that's the way the rolling stone crumbles moss."

"Minako, that's cookie crumbles." Automatically corrected Makoto, despite being stunned at how bad her Sempai had it.

"How does that make sense?" Everyone ignored that because Minako was terrible at idioms. There simply wasn't one she couldn't kill.

Ignoring the Senshi of Venus screwing something else up, Usagi's eyes narrowed, trying to determine if Ranma needed to be smote for her actions. To have forty-seven fiancées was an affront to love and justice. "Are you some kind of womanizer?"

With a groan, Ranma rubbed the bridge of her nose. Why was it the same stupid problems always followed her? She tried to avoid making the same mistakes and these girls barely knew her so how had they stumbled onto one of the Tomboy's favorite issues. "I'm not a womanizer or a pervert. Of the three valid cases, one is a girl who hits me whenever she gets mad about anything but that one is about family honor, so it has to be taken seriously. Another is a childhood friend who I only see as a friend but she refuses to get that. And the last is a girl who at first tried to kill me until she found out I was a guy then she kissed me and said we were married. To be honest, I'm not sure I want to marry any of them."

Hotaru perked up at this. If Ranma didn't want to marry any of them, then maybe she had a chance to get with the redhead. Realizing what she was thinking, Hotaru blushed deeply and looked at the floor. The tatami was really fascinating and could use some appreciation.

Usagi relaxed after hearing that explanation. "Okay. That makes sense. You're not a womanizer toying with women's hearts. And if you're not then there is no need to smite you."

Ranma sweat-dropped at that, unsure of the girl's sanity. Was this really a group of people he wanted to help? Sure Phoenix kind of insisted but if there was danger maybe she should flee? "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

"You talked about fighting those things unpowered," remarked Haruka. "How can you do that? How can anyone?"

"Like I said, I am one of the best Martial Artists in the world. Those lizard guys were pretty tough. The spines were a good defense against melee fighting but not enough. And man did they pack a wallop. Even Amiguriken strikes didn't seem to do a lot. Though I bet Porkbutt would hurt them normally."

No one could seem to make sense of the Porkbutt comment and Micheru asked "Chestnut fist?"

"Chinese Amazon Technique that allows you to attack a whole lot faster. You practice it by grabbing roasting chestnuts out of a fire without getting burned," explained Ranma. "You use your Chi to relax your muscles enough that they can work faster. Tense muscles are slower and the chi lets you relax for more speed while at the same time maintaining your strength. Sure you lose some strength but hitting at target over a hundred times at maybe 80% of strength in a few seconds is better that once or twice at full."

"You can really punch that fast?" asked Ami, looking fascinated.

"Sure."

"And these sorts of things are what you can teach us?" continued Ami.

"Sure, eventually. It will take a while for you to build up the chi but we can do that. I can also make sure you all fight the best you can based on how you fight anyway. It's what I was raised to do."

Setsuna smiled. This was certainly going to help make sure the Scouts could survive about anything they faced from now on. Sure it would have been better sooner but this was a great help. "I think that is a good spot to talk about these new youma."

Everyone turned to face Ami, who was typing something on the Mercury Computer very quickly. Light shone forth from the computer and hit one of the walls, projecting an image of the Lizard youma they had faced a few times. "As you all know, these are the enemy we are currently facing. We don't know if they are the only foes or are a prelude to another invasion. They are exceptionally tough, fairly resistant to physical damage, and the spines are a form of defense. Thankfully their touch is not immediately draining of life force, but they seem bent on destruction. If you look at the battlefields you can see the random damage they have done before we got there. Their claws are very sharp and hard, able to go through our suits, despite their armor. Because of this, we need to revise our tactics to deal with them as they keep moving too close with us and so far only Uranus and Jupiter can stand toe to toe with them to any degree."

Ranma shrugged. Again this was something she could actually do and deal with. To her they were just another physical challenge to be overcome. "If I'm there, the three of us can hold them back from closing with you all, Saturn can provide defense to range attackers with that wall thing of hers and the rest of you can blast them. Easy."

Ami paused, typed a bit, read some data, and then nodded, "Yes that would work. An extra close in fighter would enable us to more effectively battle them. They have been causing most problems by closing with our range fighters. "

"And if they are the advance for an invasion?" asked Rei, almost worried about what the answer would be.

"I don't know. If they are the advance then these beasts are not as powerful as later ones. Without Ranma that could be a terrible development. In terms of knowing if it is an invasion, you and Neptune are the only ones with true foretelling. The Gates of Time don't really do that according to Setsuna," explained Ami.

"They don't. But then again, ever since Ranma's battle with Saffron, things have been off."

Ranma looked startled, as did several of the others. Ami asked, "Off how?"

"The vision of Crystal Tokyo is different. Something completely changed things and I'm fairly certain it's Ranma. I just don't know why."

Uranus growled, turning to face the redhead, "She sabotaged Crystal Tokyo?"

"No. It's still there, just changed quite a lot. I have been busy trying to figure it out but am no closer to an understanding. It is still Crystal Tokyo, mostly, Usagi is still Queen, but that's really the last of the similarities to the previous version. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing yet but regardless Ranma is not to blame." Pluto locked eyes with Uranus until the girl subsided.

Usagi looked thoughtful. "So you are saying that things have changed enough that the Crystal Tokyo we are headed to is not the future that Chibi-Usa came from?"

Setsuna was a little proud of how Usagi was able to figure that out. The girl was so much better than when she started. "I haven't seen her yet in any of my searches. Well… I have seen a child but not the same as Chibi-Usa from before. Like I said, similar but different. The future is problematic like that, especially after an unprecedented event caused by an anomaly like Ranma. His killing Saffron kicked Crystal Tokyo onto a completely different track."

Looking down, Ranma was unsure how to feel about all this. The whole situation seemed so strange. She rubbed the back of her head and said, "Sorry."

Pluto waved away his apology, "No need Ranma. You did what you had to do at Jusendo and I honestly think you did what was best in that situation. You saved Akane's life, which is a good and noble thing. It is not your fault that things have changed because of that act. There is something else at work, something that changed things as much as they had, I just haven't found it yet."

That clearly made Ranma feel better and got Uranus to calm down even more. Seeing as that rabbit trail was no longer being followed, Ami continued, "Anyway… we need to remain on guard and look for any signs outside of simple attacks in order to build a better picture of their actions. If there is more going on than simple destruction or basic energy stealing then that would point too another force being at work, which would indicate invasion."

Usagi nodded, "Okay, thank you Ami. So, that is a lot to think about. Is there any way to track back the Youma, to see if there is some other force?"

This was clearly directed at Setsuna, who nodded, "I can try but often their negative energy makes it difficult to track them in the Gates and with the other changes that have happened it might be more muddled than usual."

"Rei?"

"I will try to read the Great Fire tomorrow. That should give us some idea if there is anything more." The Miko replied.

"Okay. Now all we need to do is get Ranma a communicator and we can attack more of the goodies that Makoto brought." Usagi's eyes widened at the thought that the business was over and the eating and fun could begin.

As things descended into a teen girl party, Ranma walked out into the garden. The small rock garden was raked into lines resembling waves, or perhaps the roiling of flame, Islands of larger rock broke the patterns. She stood there, trying to drink in the tranquility as opposed to the energetic chaos of the party inside. There was a slight crunch of a foot on gravel and she turned to face the tall and imposing Setsuna, an eyebrow quirked questioningly. Before Ranma had a chance to say anything the green haired woman said, "I just wanted to offer you a hand trying to untangle your fiancée situation."

"Really? What's in it for you?" Ranma had too many things happen to her for her to blindly accept help. Hell, one encounter with Nabiki was enough to turn her cautious of such offers.

"You're an ally now and if I can help make those engagements be less problematic, then you can be more effective an ally."

That degree of pragmatism was something Ranma certainly understood, as it was something her Art was based in. And it was a generous offer honestly. She had no idea how to untangle the whole mess and any assistance would be nice. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. And thank you for your offer to train the others. While they are good they could be better. The full breadth and depth of their training did not completely follow them into this life. Back during the Silver Millennium they were far more skilled and they trained fairly constantly."

"I'll see what I can do." Ranma didn't want to promise too much, as she had no idea if some of them would even be able to learn much. They had potential but did they have the drive and the focus? That was something on which everything would turn. Even though the girls had been better in another life it didn't follow that they would be good now.

She figured out that Setsuna left by the faint sounds of departing footsteps. Eyes turned back to the rock garden, tracing over the smooth curves. A short while later, another set of footsteps approached, far more tentatively. Ranma turned and saw Hotaru coming closer holding two cups of tea. When she spotted Ranma watching her, she blushed faintly, raised the cups, and said, "I thought you might like some tea."

"Thank you." Ranma took the cup and had a sip. It was a really nice Jasmine green, and not the mass produced kind as well. The warm liquid was welcome.

"You might want to come in soon and get something. Makoto is having trouble keeping Usagi from all the food, so if you wanted any you should probably come back before she eats it all."

Before Ranma could reply, her stomach did, rather forcefully. Chuckling, Ranma rubbed the back of her head and said, "Well the Beast has spoken. Let's go."

Hotaru smiled as they walked inside together. Maybe, just maybe she had a chance.


	7. Author's Note

Hey there everybody, I just wanted to let you know some stuff. Life has gotten interesting and I am focusing more on my professional work. I am still working on the stories but right now the possibility of getting paid is my focus. Hopefully I can carve out some time to finish the next chapter and move things closer to the end. Thank you for your patience.


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